Two Syrian security officers killed in Tartus as detainee’s death attributed to 'natural causes'

Two members of Syria’s Internal Security Service were shot dead late Monday night by unidentified gunmen in the coastal city of Tartus, while the body of a doctor who had been abducted earlier this year was discovered in Latakia province.

According to a security source quoted by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), an Internal Security patrol in Tartus became suspicious of a car parked by the roadside. As officers approached the vehicle to inspect it, one of its occupants opened fire, killing two officers before fleeing the scene.

Tartus was previously a stronghold of the deposed Assad regime.

Meanwhile in nearby Latakia, authorities reported the discovery of the body of Dr. Mohammed Adnan Samkari, 82, in an orchard in the Damserkho area.

The doctor had been kidnapped on April 29 by unknown gunmen who demanded a $100,000 ransom, which his family was unable to pay.

Nour al-Din Primo, head of media relations in Latakia, told The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Syrian security forces were working intensively to apprehend those responsible.

The incident comes less than two weeks after the Ministry of Interior announced it had foiled a plot to attack St. Elias Maronite Church in the village of Khreibet, in Tartus province.

Colonel Abdel-Aal Mohammed Abdel-Aal, head of Internal Security in the governorate, said at the time that “outlaw groups” linked to the remnants of the deposed Assad regime had been monitoring the church with the intent of planting explosive devices inside.

Death of Detainee in Damascus Attributed to Seizure

In a separate case, Damascus public prosecutor Hossam Khattab said that the death of 32-year-old Yousef Mohammed Labbad last July had been due to natural causes.

Khattab died after being detained in the Umayyad Mosque under unclear circumstances, in a case that caused widespread outrage in Syria.

Khattab told SANA that a medical committee concluded Labbad’s death was caused by cerebral hypoxia following a seizure. The seizure, the report found, was triggered by the combined use of amphetamines and the antidepressant fluoxetine, compounded by psychological stress, agitation, and lack of sleep.

The committee ruled out foul play, stating that minor external injuries such as abrasions and bruises were not life-threatening, and no serious internal trauma, such as brain haemorrhage or fractures, was detected.

Toxicology tests confirmed the presence of both substances in Labbad’s system. The findings linked his seizure to drug interaction and psychological distress, which in turn caused oxygen deprivation to the brain.

The prosecutor said the case has been formally closed and referred to the judiciary, saying that the Justice Ministry was committed to transparency and accountability.

Many people however have questioned the circumstances of Labbad’s death on social media.